Poking their head into the Minné lounge, students’ eyes widen as they realize the big change that had taken place over the summer. They would walk into the Minné lounge for the printer and be greeted with a missing wall, opening up the lounge into the classroom next door.
The College of Liberal Arts (COLA) received a grant that led to the wall between the Minné lounge and the classroom next door to be knocked down. This opened the lounge in terms of space but also threw many students for a loop due to being unsure if a class was supposed to be utilizing that space next door. On top of this, the change was unexpected for more than just everyday students, but also the deans advisory board in the COLA.
Sophie Riedel, a fourth-year history and law in society major and the secretary for the dean’s advisory board had a similar experience to many students.
“I was told that the wall was going to get knocked down and that I would have to rearrange furniture,” Riedel said. “That’s all I knew about it. I came back [from the summer] and I just knew that the wall was gone.”
Beyond the wall being gone and there no longer being any classes taking place in the now joined room, there was also new furniture purchased. This includes conference room-like tables, chairs and high-top tables. These changes, while welcome, can be off-putting for students when they don’t know much about what has happened over the summer.
“I think the changes to the Minné lounge were good in intention, as the plan was to open the lounge in an attempt to mimic the business engagement center over in Somsen,” Isabel Marty, a fourth-year sociology major and a member of the COLA dean’s advisory board said. “The faculty wanted the lounge to be more open to students, however, I personally have not seen as many students in the lounge studying compared to when the wall was up. I do appreciate the new furniture though.”
However, despite the weariness that these changes to the lounge may have sparked in students, there is hope that the space will become even more utilized than before. With the open space there is more room for students to collaborate, work individually, or even talk with friends.
Anika Lang, a fourth-year criminal justice law enforcement major who works closely with the COLA dean’s advisory board holds a bright outlook for the new and improved Minné lounge.
“It’s definitely supposed to be a space that you can come and bring your group in. And obviously in Minné, we kind of have spots which we’re really fortunate to have but… I’m really hoping that students will see this as like, ‘this is the spot to do that stuff’ and ‘it’s okay to be in here when other people are talking’. It’s supposed to be a communal space,” Lang said.
The hope for the space to flourish is held by many in the COLA. Collaboration is made more possible among students with the addition of new furniture, and more space to work with than a single circular table. The Minné lounge may feel like a new, foreign concept for many students, but as they grow accustomed, the space will hopefully be utilized more than ever before.
“I think students will get used to the new set up of the lounge, but as always, change takes time and sometimes it’s easier to critique a situation rather than see the possible benefits,” Marty said.
So, while it’s easy to critique the lounge now, with time students may be able to get past the odd feeling of a missing wall and embrace a new sense of collaborative community.
